With increased interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) among companies and students alike, EDHEC intends to stay one step ahead by offering targeted courses to all its MSc students.

“Stories about AI abound at the moment. Algorithms are in the eye of the news storm with an on-going debate over their ethical use [...] and our students must be able to understand the stakes and implications” - Michelle Sisto, EDHEC Associate Dean of Graduate Studies

Indeed, starting September 2018, all MSc students attended a new course designed to drive reflection about the opportunities and limitations of AI. “It’s a unique opportunity to get ahead of the curve as change is accelerating. It’s not about becoming an overnightexpert but rather developing a prism through which to examine how AI impacts businesses and our society” sums up Michelle Sisto. Mixing students across all MScs in a common course helps foster a multi-disciplinary approach as students will be expected to work in teams on topics such as the Internet of Things (IoT) in the Health industry, AI in supply chains or Ethics in HR.

However, a common course was not the only change coming to EDHEC this fall. To celebrate its one-year anniversary, the MSc in Data Analytics & Digital Business got a name change to reflect the emphasis put on AI. The new MSc Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, directed by Professor Florian Pelgrin, will continue to offer students a comprehensive program covering machine learning, AI, programming and data analytics with an enhanced choice of electives for the second semester. With a course curriculum covering everything from Machine Learning to Programing, this MSc is specifically designed to shape a new generation of young pioneers armed with a comprehensive set of skills to enter a workplace where AI and disruptive technology play a bigger role every day.

Brave New World: The pionners of the MSc Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence

They were the very first students to experience the brand new MSc in Data Analytics and AI. What do these pioneers make of their year? What were they expecting? What did they find? Did it open a whole new world of possibilities? Let’s find out!

Aurélia Amalvict - During my gap-year, I worked at BPI France to link big companies with the right startups in the AI, Data Analytics and Business Intelligence sectors. Though fascinating work, I was frustrated because I couldn’t wrap my head around the groundbreaking solutions these startups were creating. I needed to understand what was behind, in terms of logic and technology, and that’s why I chose this MSc. I got exactly what I was expecting and more. The program was a very comprehensive approach to all the topics I wanted to understand. And then there was Le Wagon. I hadn’t expected to get such a great training in code, to be able to dive into this culture, and not just get an intro, while being in a Business School. This is the kind of hard skills you don’t usually get with a Business degree. But these are the skills needed today to understand and navigate not only the tech industry but all those big companies working with them.

Martin Parenti - I spent my gap-year working in the tech industry, first in Singapore with DailyMotion, then in Paris with Uber and Sigfox, a very promising French unicorn working in IoT. Companies in the tech sector were increasingly looking for dual profiles with both hard and soft skills, and this MSc seemed to have it all to prepare me for this. We knew we were the first to try it out, and it was a little like the startup mindset of test and learn. EDHEC trusted us to give feedback and to adjust what needed improvement. With the MSc, the idea was not to become a tech engineer overnight but to get enough knowledge of these complex environments to be able to work there. It’s not something you usually get in a Business School. Here, not only did we get a thorough panorama, but we also got a hands-on experience in coding and developing with Le Wagon. Approaching AI through the white paper was also a great experience: my team and I worked on autonomous vehicles and we quickly understood the extent of what we didn’t know, which was a lot! This was a challenging year, in a very good way. But to see top recruiters in the tech industry getting very interested in my profile even before I graduated was a constant

reminder that I was exactly where I needed to be.

“We’re shaping young professionals who combine the best of a strong business management education with the sought-aftertechnical culture of programming and machine learning” - Michelle Sisto

This is an extract from Otherwise Magazine (#7 issue). Did you enjoy it? Read the full article by subscribing to Otherwise Magazin for free!

About EDHEC

Operating from campuses in Lille, Nice, Paris, London and Singapore, EDHEC is one of the top 15 European business schools. Fully international and directly connected to the business world, EDHEC is a school for business, rather than a business school, where excellence in teaching and research focuses on innovation to stimulate entrepreneurship and creativity. For business from birth and dedicated to business, EDHEC makes entrepreneurs for life, able to remodel or create successful businesses wherever they work.EDHEC functions as a genuine laboratory of ideas and produces innovative solutions valued by businesses. The School’s teaching philosophy, inspired by its award-winning research activities, focuses on “learning by doing”.